The sea can be beautiful and peaceful then suddenly stormy and strong. So too was the life of Michael Calabrese whose body was found in the water near his boat in Camden on Thursday.
Police are investigating it as a suspicious death.
Last year, Calabrese tried to take his boat from Portsmouth to Newport News during Hurricane Irene, but it got stuck on the beach in Ocean View.
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Then he landed in jail for trespassing at a city shelter. While he was locked up, his boat was set on fire.
He lost his love and his home.
"Pretty depressed about it and I attempted suicide and I spent three weeks in the hospital coping," Calabrese said back in December.
NewsChannel 3 spoke with Calabrese in December when an angel got him an early Christmas present and another chance at love.
The boat "Racquet Too" would be his home and his passion. It was given to him by a stranger at an auction.
"It's a far cry from "Maybe Tomorrow," but it's a boat," Calabrese said.
While he waited to fix up his boat for the spring, he lived on Peachtree Street in Norfolk.
For a man that can best be described as a "character," he made quick friends.
"He was fantastic," said his neighbor Hauke Powers.
Powers and Calabrese would sit and cook out in the backyard. It was a temporary home; putting his feet on the ground wasn't Calabrese's style.
"He was so excited to get back onto the water in the ocean to his free lifestyle," Powers said.
Calabrese left in March when his boat was finally fit for sailing. With his rescued cat as his first mate, Calabrese was ready for whatever life brought him.
"He wanted to sail, sail, sail, sail, ocean blue, blue skies," Powers said.
